Chess Course Books by Lev Alburt

Have any of you read them? What do you think of them, if so? I'd especiall like to hear about the book 'Chess Tactics for the Tournament Player'. I know there are review sites out there, but I'd like to hear from anyone else that's read them, too.

Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by Sicilian Smaug
hahhahahaha, ask Powershaker User 177671, hel tell you all about them 😉 But careful not to waste too much of his time as he makes all his moves in 10 minutes a day at the library.

O man, as soon as i read that, i'm thinking Shaker. But you beat me to it 🙁

Yups, he's the man your looking for.

Soooo, they must be no good (I'm guessing by the tone here)?

1- Alburt makes his living selling books
2- He claims he reveals once secret Russian training methods
3- There never was any secret training methods
For example, if:
They had a million registered players in the Soviet Union
Statistically 1% of players become masters, so they had 10,000
When I started, the USCF had 5000 members and about 50 masters

My point is: guys like Alburt don't have any special, secret methods. They are playing on the fact that the old USSR produced so many masters because of training methods. It wasn't methods, it was the sheer number of players.

How many players take lessons and read his stuff are still rated 1500? I don't know, but I'd like to find out.

Originally posted by masscat
1- Alburt makes his living selling books
2- He claims he reveals once secret Russian training methods
3- There never was any secret training methods
For example, if:
They had a million registered players in the Soviet Union
Statistically 1% of players become masters, so they had 10,000
When I started, the USCF had 5000 members and about 50 masters

M ...[text shortened]... ke lessons and read his stuff are still rated 1500? I don't know, but I'd like to find out.

Good to know, masscat. Thanks.

Originally posted by masscat
1- Alburt makes his living selling books
2- He claims he reveals once secret Russian training methods
3- There never was any secret training methods
For example, if:
They had a million registered players in the Soviet Union
Statistically 1% of players become masters, so they had 10,000
When I started, the USCF had 5000 members and about 50 masters

M ...[text shortened]... ke lessons and read his stuff are still rated 1500? I don't know, but I'd like to find out.

No, you are very wrong. You can ask Rahim. Sicilian Smaug knows also. Before I took that course, my RHP rating was borderline 1400 - up and down. Now, look at my rating. That course works! I also couldn't beat my 1700 chess computer before I took the course. I can beat it nearly every time with 1 hour and 20 minute standard game time. No joke. Lev Alburt's course works. I know from experience. I am living proof. My rating should hit 1600 soon on RHP. Three months ago I was at 1414, sometimes even high 1300s. Smaug remembers.

I think any chess books which you read will help your chess one was or another. I made a list or the books i read on this blog I made last week and I was suprised at how many books i read. I read 18 chess books so far with 13 of them being in the last 2 years and about 9 of them being in the summer two years ago.

That's how I improve, read chess books and then play games.

Why not get one book and see what you think about it.

Also there are book reviews at www.jeremysilman.com

Originally posted by powershaker
[b]No, you are very wrong.

Your rating increase is a real accomplishment, but I think you can do better. My experience was for years I read all the books and was a perennial 1650 (postal and OTB) player until I discovered the key, and my rating started to reflect what I discovered. OTB (which I no longer play peaked at 2095) and my current correspondence rating is 2020. Believe me….the books help, but they don’t teach you what you really need to know. You can push your rating even higher, but Alburt (or any author) won’t tell you how because he can’t sell you any books if he does. Most of what I learned I got from the rare Masters who were willing to share what they knew!

Originally posted by masscat
Your rating increase is a real accomplishment, but I think you can do better. My experience was for years I read all the books and was a perennial 1650 (postal and OTB) player until I discovered the key, and my rating started to reflect what I discovered. OTB (which I no longer play peaked at 2095) and my current correspondence rating is 2020. Believe m ...[text shortened]... . Most of what I learned I got from the rare Masters who were willing to share what they knew!

care to share?

Originally posted by powershaker
No, you are very wrong. You can ask Rahim. Sicilian Smaug knows also. Before I took that course, my RHP rating was borderline 1400 - up and down. Now, look at my rating. That course works! I also couldn't beat my 1700 chess computer before I took the course. I can beat it nearly every time with 1 hour and 20 minute standard game time. No joke. Lev Alburt ...[text shortened]... 1600 soon on RHP. Three months ago I was at 1414, sometimes even high 1300s. Smaug remembers.

You can't be real,you must be a joke.

Originally posted by masscat
Your rating increase is a real accomplishment, but I think you can do better. My experience was for years I read all the books and was a perennial 1650 (postal and OTB) player until I discovered the key, and my rating started to reflect what I discovered. OTB (which I no longer play peaked at 2095) and my current correspondence rating is 2020. Believe m ...[text shortened]... . Most of what I learned I got from the rare Masters who were willing to share what they knew!

I take lessons from masters, and an occasional GM.
I tried to impart my knowledge to the masses here, but get flamed, or snide post from trollers.
Seems like some people cant stand to see other people win in life. It seems to make then scared.

Want to improve fast?
Get a database, make smaller databases with games from openings and systems you play.
Then study pawn structures, and play the openings that are similar to your pet lines, and their pawn structures.
Looking at games by masters is a good way to get better fast as well.
look at 20-30 a day or more if you can.
Games of your openings, or similar is good, but not totaly nessasary.
Study endgames. This seperates the weak from the strong.
The fish from the master.
Games have tactics and middlegame concepts in them that you can learn from.
Chess is mostly ideas. The one with the better plan often wins

Originally posted by RahimK
care to share?

You asked, so here goes:

About 30 years ago a local master used to go to the library, copy old tmt books by hand, type them up and run off copies which he then sold. He asked me to play over about 200+ games from one of the Lone Pine tmts and correct typos. My next couple of tmts saw my rating jump about 100 pts. When I mentioned this to him, he said “Of course!” About that time I read an article by Ken Smith in Chess Digest. He recommended playing over hundreds of unannotated master games, spending about 5-10 min per game and trying to guess the next move (Note: this is NOT fun; it’s boring!). The idea was to learn pattern recognition. (Gligorich, Ken Smith, Berliner, a 1935 study by DeGroot on how masters think, all mentioned this) When I started following Smith’s advice, I saw improvement. I began to see how the masters put what I learned in the books to practical use. I think you should do this on an actual board, not a computer screen.

Pattern recognition…see the game.
My 8th moved was played without thinking, and immediately after hitting the move button, I knew it was a blunder. How many games had I seen where White sacs on e6 in this type position? Lucky for me, my opponent wasn’t familiar with the pattern so was not even looking for a combination.
Game 1211563

Grandmouster's post is excellent

Originally posted by masscat
You asked, so here goes:


Grandmouster's post is excellent

why....gee thanks...someone does appreciate my ramblings here on the boards...😀

Originally posted by Grandmouster
I take lessons from masters, and an occasional GM.
I tried to impart my knowledge to the masses here, but get flamed, or snide post from trollers.
Seems like some people cant stand to see other people win in life. It seems to make then scared.

Want to improve fast?
Get a database, make smaller databases with games from openings and systems you pl ...[text shortened]... in them that you can learn from.
Chess is mostly ideas. The one with the better plan often wins

I read that advice at a SM website but wanted to keep is hush hush 🙂